Communication techniques across distributed networks, such as the Internet on the World Wide Web and intranets enclosed within individual businesses, became increasingly popular beginning in the 1990's. Users of distributed networks are able to communicate in “real time” (meaning almost instantaneously) through the use of programs which receive and display text input to multiple users simultaneously. These displays are known as “virtual rooms” or “chat rooms”. In another function, two or more users can each run a program that works in conjunction with their browsers that allows one (the “leader”) to control the other users' browsers, at least to the extent of pointing that browser to a location chosen by the leader on the distributed network or Internet. More recently appearing are various collaboration programs that, when all collaborators are running the program and are all logged onto the distributed network or Internet, allow a preselected group of users to collaborate.
What is needed is a way for users to collaborate on the fly, and without having to own or download any programs that then stay resident on the user's computer. Also needed is a way for users engaging in a chat session to control each other's browsers and view the same web pages at the same time.
In addition, at the turn of the century, there were only variations on shrink wrap and click wrap sales of software as product. Computer software would be sold according to conventional business models for the sale of physical product. The difficulty is that software sales in these models all to some extent create a need for updates, distributions and rollouts that are expensive and time consuming.
What is needed is a business system that makes highly productive software available to businesses and end users, but which is not purchased by customers or end users, has no conventional distribution system, and never requires update, installation or rollout by the customer or end user.